Wicked Problems In Food System Essay

From the field to the fork, food politics is present in every single bite we eat. Yet, because food is so central to our daily lives, people easily overlook the politics behind the production, distribution, and consumption of food. However, it is critical to realize that individual food choices and ideas about food impact the intricacies and contribute to the complexity of the food system. On the other hand, as consumers who have “responsibility for one’s part in the food economy,” we must also understand how political factors contribute to ‘wicked’ problems (Berry, 1990). Wicked problems occur when “stakeholders [of the food system] may have conflicting interpretations of the problem and the science behind it, as well as different values, goals, and life experiences” (Kreuter et al., 2004, p. 441). As a result, the following essay will explore why wicked problems cause certain issues to receive more attention from policymakers, how problems are framed and solutions are chosen, and which voices tend to be heard in policy debates. By better understanding the political landscape of wicked problems and looking at specific examples, the essay will conclude with answers of how to address wicked problems about future U.S. food system policies.
I. Understanding the complexity of food systems Before this …show more content…
Yet, what is often disregarded or not mentioned enough are the rights of food system workers. To succinctly capture the scope of problems for food system workers, occupational health risks, pathogens, nitrates, and pesticides can easily be ingested, inhaled, or absorbed; 20% of work related fatalities come from industrialized operations; limited to no rights in the workplace; and slavery-like conditions (Kim and Wilkins, 2015, p. 33-35, 37, 39-40, 20). Given the evidence of workplace injustice and danger, why is there so much more attention given to